MG Sports Cars

engine swaps and other performance upgrades, plus "factory" and Costello V8s

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BlownMGB-V8
Jim Blackwood
9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042
(6468 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 12:59PM

Main British Car:
1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS

authors avatar
Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: BlownMGB-V8
Date: May 16, 2010 08:49AM

No Jim, if I planned to do that I'd make up another plate and use the first one as a spacer to clear the main caps. It would need that for the longer studs I'm pretty sure. It's not a bad idea but would raise the engine. Anyway I don't think something like that is even helpful until you go over 500 hp which I'm not planning to do.

JB


MGBV8
Carl Floyd
Kingsport, TN
(4511 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 11:32PM

Main British Car:
1979 MGB Buick 215

authors avatar
Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: MGBV8
Date: May 16, 2010 09:37AM

"...until you go over 500 hp which I'm not planning to do"

Oh?

Let's see 340 CI + supercharger = <500Hp? I'd be real disappointed!


BlownMGB-V8
Jim Blackwood
9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042
(6468 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 12:59PM

Main British Car:
1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS

authors avatar
Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: BlownMGB-V8
Date: May 18, 2010 12:34PM

Just to be on the safe side and not guilty of making inflated claims, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the car will make 300 hp. The stock 4bbl 340 engine was 260 hp so I should be pretty safe with that number, and anything over 300 hp in an MGB is, well, just a little insane. Stock torque though was 365, and that's a pretty big number. Mine runs the '64 300 heads which have smaller ports and numbers for the 300 were 210 hp and 310 torque, so I'll be relying on the blower mainly to boost flow through the ports. Now if I had a set of the new TA heads on it I'd be right there with 'ya, but as it is, I'm only looking for a good reliable 300 with an extended redline.

JB


BlownMGB-V8
Jim Blackwood
9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042
(6468 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 12:59PM

Main British Car:
1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS

authors avatar
Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: BlownMGB-V8
Date: June 22, 2010 01:28PM

Today was the day for bolting the engine and tranny together and setting them in the engine bay. Assembly went smoothly without a hitch, but unfortunately fitting the engine in did not. The stock 340 motor mounts will not work, no surprise there as they are considerably larger than their 215 counterparts, and the steering shaft and heater box all cleared, but I had to cut a fixturing lug off the block just like we did on the 455. The motor sat too high so I unbolted the steering rack. It will have to be moved down just like in the Roadmaster, although I believe moving the cone can be avoided, and I'll have to make up a set of front engine mounts like what we used there. So the good news is that there is progress, the bad is that the car will not be coming to the show this year. There is just too much to get done in time to even be able to trailer it. Motor mounts, transmission crossmember, rack mounts, crossmember notch, rack pinion extension, new rack boots, and waiting on parts. Well, those are the breaks sometimes.

Here's a shot of the setup I used for dialing in the adapter ring to mark the bellhousing holes:
MVC-617F.JPG

And here is a shot of the completed adapter including the converter disc, which was cut from 1/2" plate and has helicoils for the flex plate bolts:
MVC-618F.JPG

The next shot is of the engine and 8 speed automatic assembled and ready to go in the car:
MVC-619F.JPG

And then a shot of it sitting in the engine bay.
MVC-621F.JPG

JB


mgb260
Jim Nichols
Sequim,WA
(2461 posts)

Registered:
02/29/2008 08:29PM

Main British Car:
1973 MGB roadster 260 Ford V8

Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: mgb260
Date: June 22, 2010 01:43PM

Wow! Great work Jim.


Dan B
Dan Blackwood
South Charleston, WV
(1007 posts)

Registered:
11/06/2007 01:55PM

Main British Car:
1966 TR4A, 1980 TR7 Multiport EFI MegaSquirt on the TR4A. Lexus V8 pl

authors avatar
Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: Dan B
Date: June 22, 2010 02:06PM

How is Matthew getting along with his ankle?


BlownMGB-V8
Jim Blackwood
9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042
(6468 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 12:59PM

Main British Car:
1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS

authors avatar
Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: BlownMGB-V8
Date: June 22, 2010 03:20PM

Still hobbled a bit, but there's a real good chance he'll be out of the boot by the V8 meet. He was quite a bit of help despite that.

A few more photos:
MVC-622F.JPG

MVC-623F.JPG

MVC-620F.JPG

Also you may wonder how the blower will affect vision out the front? Not that much.
MVC-624F.JPG

JB



Bill Young
Bill Young
Kansas City, MO
(1337 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 09:23AM

Main British Car:
'73 MG Midget V6 , '59 MGA I6 2.8 GM, 4.0 Jeep

authors avatar
Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: Bill Young
Date: June 23, 2010 08:10AM

Outstanding Jim, great fit and good packaging. I can see how your car and the Roadmaster match up in the radiator area. Your work on the intake is just amazing.


Citron
Stephen DeGroat
Lugoff, SC
(367 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 09:43PM

Main British Car:
1970 MGBGT V6, 7004R, AC, matching trailer 3.1 liter

Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: Citron
Date: June 23, 2010 03:55PM

Jim,

what happened to Mahtew?
You and Edith into child abuse now? LOL.

Steve


BlownMGB-V8
Jim Blackwood
9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042
(6468 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 12:59PM

Main British Car:
1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS

authors avatar
Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: BlownMGB-V8
Date: June 23, 2010 09:42PM

Yeah, the little punk got uppity ;-)

No, really it was a baseball accident, sliding into 3rd base. He was safe, but had to get a pinch runner. He's walking on it pretty good now. Really just a nasty sprain with some mild damage to the growth plate. He's been a good sport about it but is getting pretty tired of it by now.
JB


Citron
Stephen DeGroat
Lugoff, SC
(367 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 09:43PM

Main British Car:
1970 MGBGT V6, 7004R, AC, matching trailer 3.1 liter

Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: Citron
Date: June 23, 2010 10:03PM

Sorry to hear about the accident. Glad he was safe though.

Steve


Dan B
Dan Blackwood
South Charleston, WV
(1007 posts)

Registered:
11/06/2007 01:55PM

Main British Car:
1966 TR4A, 1980 TR7 Multiport EFI MegaSquirt on the TR4A. Lexus V8 pl

authors avatar
Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: Dan B
Date: June 24, 2010 09:11AM

Remember when Dave Concepcion slid into third and pulled the bag out of the ground? He was out for most of the season I think. Maybe Matthew can learn to slide like Pete Rose ..Head First.

Cool pool cue cane.


flitner
John Fenner
Miami Fl
(168 posts)

Registered:
03/11/2010 10:58AM

Main British Car:
1972 MGB 350 CHEVY

Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: flitner
Date: June 24, 2010 11:01PM

Great work!
Seeing your knowledge in machine work I was wondering if you ever went onto Practical Machinist forum. Great bunch of info there if ever needed, from antiquated to present moshinery and many articles/ manuals/ parts lists/ links. Again, Great Work, I hope to see a video of that beast tearing up the asphalt soon!
John


BlownMGB-V8
Jim Blackwood
9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042
(6468 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 12:59PM

Main British Car:
1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS

authors avatar
Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: BlownMGB-V8
Date: July 13, 2010 06:10PM

Half way done with the engine mounts:

MVC-625F.JPG

They are 10 ga. stainless, this is before doing any polishing. The frame rails need to be modified for the attachment points and then on to the tranny mount. The driveshaft coupler came in but I haven't taken a photo of it. It's a large and very beefy rubber coupler connected to a tube. I can probably slide a cut off driveshaft over it and weld the two together. No worries about phasing, neither end moves.

JB


BlownMGB-V8
Jim Blackwood
9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042
(6468 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 12:59PM

Main British Car:
1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS

authors avatar
Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: BlownMGB-V8
Date: July 15, 2010 05:50PM

Below are progress photos on the engine and rack mounts. As mentioned the rack had to be lowered, and the same process will be used as on the MGB-Roadmaster but with some discrete improvements. The cutout in the crossmember is wider to ease rack placement. Motor mounts are a stock off the shelf item, and the upper brackets are made from thinner material, stainless being used instead of steel.

Looking then at the first photo the old mounts have been removed and cuts made with two different sized holesaws to begin the cutout.

MVC-626F.JPG

In the second photo connecting cuts have been made with the angle grinder and zip blade and the cutout removed. The zip blade is a very handy tool but it must be used cautiously. For a zip blade, you might as well be made of butter. Accept that going in and never forget it.

MVC-629F.JPG

In the third shot the cuts and remains of old mounts have been cleaned up,

MVC-630F.JPG

and finally, in the last shot the new parts have been fitted and are ready to be welded into place as soon as the paint has been stripped from the weld bead areas. In the past I have done a lot of welding over paint, rust and scale and some processes such as stick and gas weld are tolerant of those practices. However, MIG and TIG are not tolerant in the least, and recognizing that I now have a greater appreciation for clean weld prep for any process. Stick will be used for the crossmember, simply because it is an easy process with superior penetration. I haven't decided on the other parts yet.

JB

MVC-631F.JPG



Dan B
Dan Blackwood
South Charleston, WV
(1007 posts)

Registered:
11/06/2007 01:55PM

Main British Car:
1966 TR4A, 1980 TR7 Multiport EFI MegaSquirt on the TR4A. Lexus V8 pl

authors avatar
Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: Dan B
Date: July 16, 2010 08:52AM

Speaking of being made of butter, how is your thumb doing?


BlownMGB-V8
Jim Blackwood
9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042
(6468 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 12:59PM

Main British Car:
1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS

authors avatar
Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: BlownMGB-V8
Date: July 16, 2010 02:08PM

Not well actually, I smacked it with a visegrip yesterday and had to put more superglue on it and the damaged area has spread out a bit. Really I should have had it cleaned out and stitched up but a bit late for that now. It's going to take a long time to heal.

JB


danmas
Dan Masters
Alcoa, Tennessee
(578 posts)

Registered:
10/28/2007 12:11AM

Main British Car:
1974 MGBGT Ford 302

authors avatar
Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: danmas
Date: July 16, 2010 02:43PM

Jim,

I think you ought to have a doctor look at it anyway. You have two thumbs but they are not redundant - you need them both!

I have a couple of nine-fingered friends because they thought it would "be ok."


BlownMGB-V8
Jim Blackwood
9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042
(6468 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 12:59PM

Main British Car:
1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS

authors avatar
Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: BlownMGB-V8
Date: July 16, 2010 06:27PM

Thanks for the concern, and if I was a Senator or an illegal immigrant that's just what I'd do. But the cost of health care today just scares me. Somehow we're going to pay for that. Matthew's sprained ankle cost well over $1000, just for an ankle sprain! Used to be we'd just wrap an ace bandage around it and go on. I can't afford that kind of nonsense, how can anyone else?

Anyway, there is no sign of infection, and no pain other than when I whacked it with the visegrips. It doesn't exactly look good, but it doesn't look dangerous either so I'm going to wait and see. If any symptoms develop I'll have it looked at. What's a doctor going to do anyway except prescribe a round of antibiotics to scour away all my good intestinal bacteria?

So on to friendlier topics. I cleaned away paint and rust and began welding in the motor mounts. The tubes are in (sorry no picture) and the top plates are clamped in place ready for weld. I used the MIG on the tubes and it worked fine but it really doesn't do so well on overhead welding. I expect I'll use it on the outside and rear seams of the top plates but may use the gas torch on the inside and front seams. The MIG works well in inside corners but not so good on outside corners, which is where the torch really shines, so that is probably the best way. I also cut the slam panel to match the one on the Roadmaster and came up with a plan on the transmission mount.

JB


BlownMGB-V8
Jim Blackwood
9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042
(6468 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 12:59PM

Main British Car:
1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS

authors avatar
Re: 340 upgrade
Posted by: BlownMGB-V8
Date: July 17, 2010 10:22PM

Finished the welding and clean up, except for the rack mounts which will come after the new transmission crossmember is in place.

MVC-632F.JPG

Next some good primer,

MVC-633F.JPG

a bit of rattle can paint that is a reasonably close match,

MVC-634F.JPG

and there it is. Front mounts completed. Time to raise the lift and go underneath.

MVC-635F.JPG
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